What thickness should the base gasket be for a Quadrajet? Can one of the thin (cheap) gaskets cause the blades to bind and hang up? I'm experiancing nozzle drip on two Quadrajets I've got. One was recently rebuilt and the other is the original. The car in question is a 69 Stage 1 and the carbs are bot 7029246s. One is a stage 1 carb and the other isn't. On one of the carbs, the idle set screw isn't even engaging and the primaries are loading up so badly the car kills itself after 90 seconds of eye burning idle. Timing is set at 34 total, 14 initial. Car runs like a dog off the line then takes off like a bat out of hell around 30. Tranny kick down doesn't seem to want to work all the time, but I suspect that's because of the vacuum being so low. Vacuum is 9 inches at idle/ in drive. Time is running short on me. I've got 6 more days to enjoy my car before I have to ship back out till Dec. I really want to get it running right and with my time being short, I've got to get it done myself. Any suggestions woulde be appreciated. I'll be opening up the carb first thing tommorow morning to check float level and rods/ jet sizes. Thanks,
There are many different base gaskets for the Quadrajet, thickness can range from .016" to .250". I keep 17 different base gaskets in stock currently. For your 69 Stage 1 carb the correct gasket is Q1707. Thickness should not cause throttle blades to "hang-up". Nozzle drip is usually caused by throttle blades that are open too much at idle. Best bet is to get one or both the the excellent Q-jet books by Cliff Ruggles and/or Doug Roe. Read up on proper primary throttle position and idle air bypass and possibly idle circuit mods and power piston springs depending on camshaft used.
That's where I was headed with it Greg. THe problem I see is that the idle screw isn't engaged whatsoever so it would seem to me the drip is being caused by the throttle blade possibly being hung up by an incorrect base gasket. I'll see what jets and rods are in it tomorow and report back. Either way, I'll need to order some replacement gaskets and needle assembly. I'll give you a call tomorrow about the heads and exhaust you're working for me and add these to the order. Thanks for the input, AUBREY
It is also possible for the secondary throttles to stick, causing the primary throttles to not return to idle. One other thing here is that the choke not coming off completely can cause the throttle to stick, due to the fast idle cam. ANYTHING that causes the throttle to stick will cause nozzle drip. It will also make the carb impossible to tune. Ray
